Unplanned extubation in intensive care pediatric patients — status of the problem: A literature review

Abstract

Unplanned extubation is any removal of an endotracheal tube from the airway during mechanical ventilation that is not planned, premeditated, or controlled. The frequency of unplanned extubation is one of the most important indicators of the quality of care in the pediatric intensive care unit, and according to the literature, it ranges from 0.11 to 6.4 per 100 days of mechanical ventilation. Unplanned extubation leads to severe complications, worsens outcomes, and increases treatment costs, which determine the urgency of the problem. The search for relevant publications was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and eLibrary.ru. The review included 37 articles published from June 1997 to July 2023. The articles contained information on the incidence of unplanned extubations in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, their complications, and associated factors. It also presented measures aimed at improving the quality and safety of medical care and reducing the frequency of unplanned extubations, with an analysis of their effectiveness. No studies have focused on the frequency of unplanned extubations in Russia, which is a good motivator for conducting research on unplanned extubations in the national healthcare system. The authors hope to draw the attention of clinicians and healthcare managers to this problem as one of the criteria for the quality and safety of medical care for children.